1. Technical Field
This invention relates to the field of electronic document processing, and more particularly, to the manipulation of attachment files.
2. Description of the Related Art
Presently, many software applications are capable of attaching copies of files to electronic documents. Common examples of such software systems include, but are not limited to, electronic mail systems, database systems, as well as collaborative systems such as Lotus Notes (TM). Once a file is attached to an electronic document, the file as well as the document can be transmitted over a computer communications network to other computer systems. Alternatively, multiple users can access the attached file using suitable collaborative software, typically over a computer communications network, as previously described.
Conventional software systems can manipulate attached files in several ways. For example, the attached file can be viewed with a file viewer, launched or processed by another application, detached from the electronic document and stored as a local file, or in the case of a program file, can be executed. Though a copy of a file can be attached to an electronic document, the original file may be updated from time to time. Presently, to attach an updated copy of an attached file to an electronic document, the original attached file first must be deleted or detached from the electronic document. Next, the user must select an attachment option to attach a copy of the updated version of the originally attached file. The user then can specify a file and the location of the file to be attached to the electronic document. This tedious, multi-step process can involve approximately 3 to 6 steps using conventional software systems, especially if responses to confirmatory messages for deletions or other actions are included. The problem further is exacerbated in the case where multiple attached files must be updated.